In recent losses at Michigan State and Tennessee, Oakland coach Greg Kampe had his team trying to slow its typical break-neck pace for a more casual affair. The Golden Grizzlies opted for the opposite plan Saturday at Western Michigan.

Kampe opted to go with junior Ryan Bass, the team's fastest and arguably most athletic player, at point guard. The immediate results were promising, but Oakland lost its third straight, 76-72.

"We did a lot of really good things today," Kampe said. "But we didn't do the things we needed to do to win."

Junior guard Travis Bader, after struggling from the field in recent games, scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Duke Mondy, who played seven games at point guard after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, shifted over to shooting guard. He finished with 17 points. Bass finished with 11 points and two assists.

Saturday's lineup was the fourth used by Kampe in the early season. He said he plans to stick with the switch, which was also necessitated by the team's need at power forward, forcing Kampe to move Valentine to that position.

"We're fast and we need to get back to that," Kampe said.

Oakland trailed, 40-36, at halftime. Each team led by as many as six in the first half.

The Broncos took a two-point lead, 72-70, from the free-throw line with 1:06 to play. After an unforced Oakland turnover, Western Michigan went up by four on a lay-in with 22 seconds to play. The play had to be reviewed for a possible shot-clock violation, but was ruled good with four-tenths of a second remaining on the shot clock.

"That's typical of how things are going for this team right now," Kampe said.

Petros pulled Oakland within two, 74-72, with 15 seconds to play before the Broncos iced the game from the free-throw line.

Oakland went up two on a three-point play by Bader, 68-66, with less than three minutes to play. Oakland took a three-point lead, 70-67, after Corey Petros hit a pair of free throws with two minutes remaining, but the Broncos tied the game with a 3-pointer on the next possession.

The Broncos took full advantage, as Valentine sat on the bench in foul trouble for nearly four minutes of action, opening up a seven-point lead, 55-48 with 12:34 left in the game.

The Grizzlies came within a point, 59-58, after a three-point play from Mondy with 7:57 to play. The game was tied 65-65, with 3:34 to play before the Broncos took a two-point lead from the free-throw line.

"I liked the way we played," Kampe said. "I don't like the way we shot and some bonehead plays we made."

Western Michigan (6-1) entered the game on a five-game winning streak, while Oakland (2-6) was just 1-5 in its previous six games. Kampe admitted he's happy the team's seven-game road trip is through.

"It's been very difficult," he said. "It's not what I thought we'd do."

After spending the past month on the road, Oakland returns home to face upstart Rochester College and former fan favorite Drew Maynard (Lake Orion) Thursday at 7 p.m. The Warriors recently picked up their first win over Division I competition and took Kent State to the wire early in the season.

"This is one of the better teams they've had," Kampe said. "They have a real chance to be competitive."

The Grizzlies then head to Ohio, an NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen qualifier a year ago, Dec. 8, before hosting last season's regular-season Horizon League champion Valparaiso Dec. 17.